Photo of the Day: Shoelace Antenna

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The shoelace antenna is a novel structure developed at MIT's Alcator C-Mod tokamak to drive short-wavelength fluctuations at the plasma boundary. The antenna gets its name from the crisscross pattern traversed by its single winding of molybdenum-wire, shown in red in the model. Electrical current flows at radio frequencies through the crisscrossing wire pattern to induce fluctuations in the plasma. (Right) The antenna is mounted inside the Alcator C-Mod vacuum vessel. One of the authors sits alongside, wearing special clothing to keep the machine interior clean. Credit: T. Golfinopoulos